


Gift of the Gods: Transcript for Audiobook

by DwaejiTokki



Series: Stargate Audiobook Transcripts [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Audiobook, Gen, Official - Freeform, transcript
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:27:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25149181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DwaejiTokki/pseuds/DwaejiTokki
Summary: This is a transcript of an official Stargate audiobook. You can listen to it on Archive.org; use the search function to find Stargate Audio Books, or use this link: https://archive.org/details/008StargateImpressions/001-Stargate+-+Gift+of+the+Gods.mp3.Note: It was brought to my attention that the above link does not work. You can search for it on YouTube as well, or use this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOzeY1qyc6g.This transcription was done by Samantha Pérez.
Series: Stargate Audiobook Transcripts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1821862
Kudos: 2





	Gift of the Gods: Transcript for Audiobook

**Gift of the Gods**

Michael Shanks as Daniel narrating and impersonating most characters

John Schwab as Major Hunter

[Dramatic music]

[Turns on tape recorder]

_Ok, testing, testing. One, two. One, two._

[Recording plays.]

 _Right. Ummmmmm. Dr. Daniel Jackson SG-1 mission report. Oh wait._ [Rummages around searching for something] _Right before I left. No, no. It’s around here. Well..._ [Flips pages] _OK! Dr. Daniel Jackson, mission report. Uhh 0586—that’s P2K-797. Uhhhhmmm. I guess… where to begin._

 _Logically at the beginning—that’s where most stories start, although the beginning of this story is probably somewhere near the middle. Umm. I think…_ [mutters] _. It’s kind of hard to tell. Depends mostly on your perspective, but that’s...uggghh. OK! Let’s just go with my perspective. Let’s start at the beginning of my story. After all_ [sighs] _there is no one else to tell it._

[Dramatic music]

Speaker 2: Dr. Jackson?

_The first thing I remember is Major Hunter’s face, brows drawn over anxious eyes. His tight expression was a picture of controlled alarm._

Major Hunter: Dr. Jackson. Wake up. Something’s happened, Sir. You need to wake up.

_Like most people who have done a tour for the SGC, Hunter can honestly claim to have been, well, to have seen everything. Canny, phlegmatic, it takes a lot to spook him. But that day he was thoroughly spooked._

Major Hunter: I swear to God, Sir. I don’t know what the hell is going on! How did we get here?

_I was laying on the floor of my lab starring up at a…indistinct ceiling. I blinked and tried to sit up, ignoring the headache jackhammering behind my eyes. Hunter crouched next to me, shoving something into my hands. It turned out to be...well, my glasses._

Major Hunter: Last thing I remember we were heading for 797.

_We’d been standing on the ramp a couple of inches from the puddle. Sam and Teal’c had already gone through with the rest of SG-12, but Jack was hanging back, trying to get a rise out of Hunter. Something about a hockey game, I think. Hunter said um… Well, he said something majors probably shouldn’t say to colonels, but Jack just smiled, tugged on his cap and walked into the event horizon, while I… Well, I woke up back in my lab._

Major Hunter: Can’t raise anyone, Sir. I think the whole base is locked down, or worse.

_Worse didn’t sound good. Not when Hunter said it in that military dead pan of his. It took some effort to get up, and if I looked anything like Hunter it’s no surprise. I immediately went for the phone, but halfway across the lab, I stopped dead._

Daniel: What’s that?

Major Hunter: You’re asking the wrong solider, Sir. It’s your lab. Don’t you recognize it?

Daniel: Ah, no. No, I don’t recognize it at all.

_Sitting in the middle of my workbench was a golden box clearly of Goa’uld origin. It was beautiful, inlaid with ivory and exquisitely engraved. It glowed with a lustrous sheen that seemed almost luminous as it hummed softly to itself. Clearly it was an object of power, but I had no idea where it had come from or what it was doing in my lab._

[Dramatic music]

[Phone rings]

_I couldn’t get an answer from anyone, not even the control room. Hunter and I had no choice. There was only one way to find out what was going on._

Major Hunter: Sir? You might need this.

_Years ago I’d have felt uncomfortable with a Beretta in my hands, but not now._

Daniel: [cocks gun] Let’s go.

[More very dramatic music and footsteps]

_Sticking close to the walls, we made our way toward the control room. Hunter took the lead, moving with the confidence of a man born into the military. When we reached the first turn in the corridor he stopped and gestured for me to wait as he peered around the corner. In the eerie silence, I could hear nothing but his breathing, fast and shallow as he darted gun-first out of sight. There was a breathless wait… Then…_

Major Hunter: [whispering] Dr. Jackson. You’d better come see this.

_My heart stopped when I rounded the corner. Scattered along the length of the corridor in twos and threes were people. SGC personnel, friends, and colleagues, lined as if they had simply fallen where they stood._

Major Hunter: What on God’s green earth!

Daniel: Are they dead?

_I didn’t wait for Hunter’s reply before I went to the side of the closest victim, Lieutenant Harper. Her face was waxy, lips tinted blue, but when I put my fingers to her throat I felt a thready pulse. Frail breath brushed my face._

Daniel: Thank God! She’s alive!

_I said, standing up._

Daniel: Looks like whatever knocked us out knocked out the whole base.

_I tucked the Beretta into my belt, suddenly less fearful. Whatever had happened was a puzzle, but it wasn’t a lethal puzzle so far. I cast Hunter a scant smile._

Daniel: Come on. Let’s get to the control room.

[Dramatic music]

Major Hunter: Dammit! They are all out, too.

_Walter Harriman was sprawled across his console and a couple of young airmen lay on the floor nearby. More importantly, though, General Hammond was slumped before the mic as if he’d been about to give orders before he was struck down. I crossed the room quickly and tried to rouse him. Perhaps enough time had passed, or perhaps he’s just too mulish to give in, but as I shook his shoulder, the general began to stir._

Hammond: What the devil?

_He muttered, grimacing as he sat up. All around us the rest of the staff began to stir. When the general saw me, his eyes widened._

Hammond: Dr. Jackson, why aren’t you on P2K-797?

_Pausing as I helped Walter to sit up, I said,_

Daniel: Good question, Sir. Last thing I remember…

Major Hunter: Uh, Sirs.

_I looked up and saw Hunter transfixed, staring down into the ‘gate room. My breath caught. What I was seeing was impossible. The Stargate appeared to be open, but instead of the event horizon’s usual shimmer, all I could see was a reflection of our own ‘gate room. At least, that’s what I thought. Slowly, I moved to the window._

Major Hunter: It’s never done that before. Right, Sir?

Daniel: No. No, it hasn’t.

_But this was no reflection. This was something else entirely because as we watched, I saw myself through the Stargate as if through the looking glass. I watched myself walk up the ramp and reach out a hesitant hand to touch the surface of the event horizon._

Major Hunter: That’s not possible.

Daniel: Well, apparently it is.

_For a moment longer I watched my alternate self, and then I ran for the stairs, Hunter on my heels. Behind us, General Hammond’s voice boomed through the base._

General Hammond: SG-1 to the ‘gate room. SG-1 to the ‘gate room.

 _Up close it was incredible. The Stargate had become a giant window into another reality. That was the only explanation, after all, and my first instinct was to make contact._ [Clanging on ramp] _But I’d only made it halfway up the ramp before the rest of the team arrived._

Jack: Whoa! Hold it right there, Dr. Livingston.

_Jack, as usual, was the voice of caution._

Jack: What’s going on?

_I tried not to roll my eyes._

Daniel: That’s what I was about to find out!

_I said, gesturing pointedly at the other version of myself, who still stood studying the ‘gate. Jack cast him a narrow-eyed look, but it was Sam who said:_

Sam: Actually, Daniel, I don’t think he can see us.

_I moved closer to the ‘gate. My alternate self was dressed exactly as I was, and at the bottom of his ramp I could see the rest of his team. I glanced over my shoulder at Jack, Sam, and Teal’c. They were identical in every way. I was about to comment on it when the alternate Daniel spoke._

Alt Daniel: Can we disconnect manually?

_His voice so close made me jump. Behind me, I heard Sam mutter:_

Sam: Impossible!

_Cautiously, I drew near and said:_

Daniel: Hellooooo?

_There was no response. Instead he turned and shouted over his shoulder:_

Alt Daniel: Well, that’s not working.

_I looked at our control room._

Daniel: Can we shut it down at this end?

_Hammond spoke briefly to Harriman and then grabbed the mic._

Hammond: We have already tried it. According to the log, the gate has been open for over 8 hours. Whatever this is, it has effectively disabled our use of the Stargate.

_We all knew what that meant. Off-world teams stranded, and the potential for anything to come through the ‘gate. From the bottom of the ramp Jack said:_

Jack: To the briefing room, NOW. Hunter, that includes you!

[Ominous music]

Major Hunter: Last thing I remember, Sir, you and I were standing on the ramp discussing the Stanley cup.

_Jack had his feet up on the table, fingers steepled._

Jack: Last thing I remember, you called me something unrepeatable in…

Major Hunter: General Hammond, Sir.

_As usual, the general waved everyone back to their seats. He fixed each of us with a steady look._

General Hammond: Let’s start with the good news. Dr. Fraiser reports no ill effects from whatever it was that knocked us out, aside from the 8-hour gap and all our memories.

Jack: And the bad news, Sir?

_The general’s expression was grave._

Hammond: We’ve been unable to make contact with anyone outside the base. All entrances and exits have locked down and are inoperable. For all intents and purposes, we’re cut off.

_He paused, letting the news sink in. Then he said:_

Hammond: Now, does anyone have an explanation for whatever the hell is goin’ on?

_There was a long silence._

Hammond: Captain Carter?

_Sam hesitated for a moment before launching into a series of speculations about the vagaries of multiverse theory. A ‘gate malfunction could, she suggested, explain the connection with this other reality. But she had no explanation for the base lockdown or the missing 8 hours. My mind began to drift, going over the events since I had woken up in my lab. Other than the missing 8 hours and a headache of monumental proportions, everything was the same as I remember. Everything except…_

Daniel: There is an unidentified alien artifact in my lab.

_Five pairs of eyes turned to stare at me. Jack cocked his head at me as if to say “And your point is?” Ignoring his look, I continued:_

Daniel: I don’t know where it came from. It was just there when I woke up. It’s clearly Goa’uld in origin. A box of Middle Kingdom design.

_Jack raised an eyebrow._

Jack: A box?

Major Hunter: It glows, Sir. Kind of luminous.

_I cut Hunter a look._

Daniel: It seemed to be emitting some kind of energy. There wasn’t time to examine it earlier.

_General Hammond nodded slowly. Eyes darted between Jack and Sam._

Hammond: Captain Carter, you and Major Hunter accompany Dr. Jackson to his lab and see what you can make of this luminous box. Don’t take any risks. Jack, Teal’c. ‘Til we can close the iris, I need you to secure the ‘gate room. Who knows what or who will come through the ‘gate?

[Ominous Music]

Major Hunter: Look at this, Captain.

_Sam was in her element, eyes bright, as she circled the strange device._

Sam: I have no idea, Sir, but whatever it is, it’s beautiful. The elegance of the design is breath-taking, don’t you think?

_Hunter didn’t seem overly impressed, but I’d had the same reaction as Sam. Aside from its aesthetic appeal, the entire box was covered in intriguingly obscure inscriptions, at which I was itching to take a closer look, but first things first. I glanced at Hunter._

Daniel: You have absolutely no memory of the mission?

Major Hunter: No, Sir. Do you?

_I shook my head, but the device had to have come from somewhere. And just because we didn’t remember the mission, didn’t mean it hadn’t taken place. Something had happened during those missing hours._

Daniel: Ah!

_I was suddenly struck by an idea, and jumping to my feet began rummaging through the cluttered drawers of my desk._

Major Hunter: Sir?

Daniel: It’s here somewhere. I…[muttering] Aha!

_Triumphantly, I pulled out my digicam._

Daniel: If we had been on the mission, I would have recorded at least some of it.

_Sam stopped working, watching as I hit play._

[Presses button]

Major Hunter: …delusional, Sir. If you think the Black Hawks can stand a chance this season, then there’s no way!

Major Hunter: Hey! That’s me! What the hell! Let me see that!

_I passed the camera over. It showed Hunter and Jack walking ahead of me on a dusty, treeless world. Beyond them, I could just make out the small settlement with all the trappings of a nomadic encampment._

Daniel: [quietly] So that’s P2K- 797. Now let’s see what happened there.

[Ominous music]

[Horse neighs]

_The encampment was rough. A few tents sewn from animal hides clustered around a large fire pit, blackened with cold morning light. Children watched us with dark, wary eyes. Women whispered behind their hands in a thick dialect that I could barely make out. They were poor, ragged, and too thin, and although they weren’t hostile, they were afraid. These were people who were familiar with the Goa’uld and all the deprivations inflicted upon a slave population._

[Horse nickers]

_On the small screen of the camera, I could see Jack and Teal’c exchange a wary look. My voice sounded flat and distant through the camera speakers._

Daniel: Jack. Over here. I think someone’s…uh…Yeah! Hi. Hi there. My name is Daniel Jackson. Uh. This is Colonel O’Neill, Captain Carter, and Teal’c. We’re peaceful travelers.

_The camera swung about to reveal a small group of men approaching. Young, most of them. They held back as one man stepped forward and bowed. Then he gestured toward one of the tents._

Daniel: I think he wants us to go inside.

_I said. Jack was partially on screen, now frowning from beneath his cap._

Jack: And do we want to go inside?

Major Hunter: My guys report the perimeter secure, Sir. No sign of the Goa’uld or anyone else.

_Jack nodded, squinting in the distance._

Jack: Just don’t make me eat the food.

_He muttered as he headed into the tent._

_The image cut out for a moment, but came back inside the tent. It was dark and difficult to make out, but it was obviously a feast._ [Indigenous instruments playing] _Some time had passed because we were all sitting down and a man in elaborate dress was talking some obscure dialect I had heard before. The feast was in our honor and…_

[Alarm sounds]

Hammond: SG-1 to the ‘gate room. SG-1 to the ‘gate room.

 _I put down the camera and ran._ [Alarm continues] _All eyes were on the Stargate. Through it, a terrible drama was being played out._ [Goa’uld weapons firing] _We could do nothing as a battalion of Jaffa invaded the mirror world. It was like staring through the back of a looking glass, the Jaffa appearing out of nowhere just streaming down the ramp ahead of us. The other_ _Daniel, Jack, and Teal’c were laying down desperate cover fire, Hunter and SG-12 at their backs. But they had already been pushed to the blast doors, more obviously in full retreat. Sam was in the control room working frantically to close either the ‘gate or the iris._

Alt Jack: Cut the power! Just cut the power!

 _In the other ‘gate room, the lights went out, plunging [it] into smoky darkness._ [Weapons cease firing] _It went quiet. All we could see was the occasional glint of a weapon in that breathless wait. The event horizon flickered, sputtered, and then stabilized._

Alt Jack: Dammit!

_Then, only by the incandescent blue of the wormhole and the flashes of the zats, staff weapons, and other laser lights, the invasion continued. Jack yelled:_

Alt Jack: Fall back! Fall back!

_But then Teal’c grabbed his arm and pointed it at the control room above them. It was swarming with Jaffa. Sam and Hammond were gone._

Alt Jack: They’ve lost it! They’ve lost the ‘gate room.

_I saw Jack yelling into his radio, and, through the noise of battle, General Hammond was shouting orders over the PA._

Alt Hammond: All units regroup. To the secondary command bunker.

_And then with a final burst of gun fire, Jack, Teal’c, and the other Daniel Jackson abandoned their ‘gate room to the Jaffa._

[Dramatic music]

Daniel: Shouldn’t we…[sighs] Is-isn’t there something! Anything we can do! Sh-shouldn’t we at least try to help them!

_I couldn’t believe we were just standing there watching the annihilation of the SGC! Our worst nightmare was being played out in wide-screen, and we weren’t doing anything about it._

Major Hunter: Real question, Sir, is how long until those Jaffa get to our ‘gate room?

 _No one had an answer to that._ [Sighs] _And then things got worse. While the rest of us had been transfixed by the horrors playing out through the Stargate, Sam had been doing more calculations. The results weren’t good. In fact, they were dire._

Sam: Actually, [Turns away from the console] the Jaffa might be the least of their problems and ours.

Major Hunter: I don’t know, Captain. Hard to see how it could get much worse than a Goa’uld invasion.

Sam: [Sighed impatiently] Look, according to the data I’m receiving, the wormhole is becoming unstable. Normally, a collapsing wormhole would trigger the ‘gate to shut down, allowing the energy to dissipate harmlessly into space, but with the ‘gates in two realities locked together, the released energy will be forced back through both Stargates. The resulting whiplash explosion would be catastrophic.

Major Hunter: Catastrophic as in the SGC goes kaboom?

_Sam shook her head._

Sam: No, Sir. Catastrophic as in the whole planet in both realities goes kaboom.

[Ominous music plays at high volume]

_According to Sam, we had about 4 hours until the wormhole’s instability became critical. So we headed back to my lab. I knew the Goa’uld box had to be the key. So while Sam poked about inside it, I concentrated on reviewing my tapes of the mission._

[Recording beings to play]

_I return to the feast. The man, the shaman, going by the ceremonial headdress, was talking. I could make out a few words. Friendship, faith, trust. Behind him, painted on the inside walls of the tent, I could see Goa’uld inscriptions, but the image was too dark to make them out. Just then the shaman turned around and beckoned to two women. They stepped forward and carried something heavy shrouded in red and gold silk. It was placed reverently on the ground before us. The shaman gestured to me to remove the cloth. I reached out and gently tugged the silk and revealed the box that now sat in my lab. After an astonished pause I said,_

Daniel: This is a very generous gift.

_Our host simply bowed his head and smiled._

Daniel: This…

_I was touching the engravings._

Daniel: This is Sekhmet. The Eye of Ra, but this, uh, the cartouche on the lid… This address I have never seen before.

_Despite the camera’s small screen, I could see Jack eyeing the gift dubiously._

Jack: You know what they say about Greeks bearing gifts, do you?

_My reply was interrupted by Teal’c:_

Teal’c: Sekhmet was reputed to possess a secret stash of weapons, O’Neill, its location known only to herself and Ra. This symbol here…

_He touched the box lightly,_

Teal’c: …means armory. It is possible that this address may lead us to her hidden reserve of weapons.

_Jack’s ears pricked up just as Sam looked up from studying the box._

Sam: Sir, oh boy. Sir, not only does this box appear to be made of naquadah alloy, but it’s umm and this is quite astonishing. It’s emitting positronium particles.

_Jack looked dower, blinked once, and said,_

Jack: And I should be excited about that because…?

_Sam smiled and indicated with a nod to follow her. She stopped a little distance away and said,_

Sam: Sir, this is an incredibly important discovery. Until now, positronium has only been a theoretical substance. Its potential uses are incredible.

Jack: [Sighs] And by incredible, you mean something that would bring untold joy to the men in white coats or something we can actually use?

_With a frown, Sam snatched the hat on her head and stuffed it into a pocket. Layman’s language was not her forte._

Sam: Ok, Sir, to put it as simply as I can, multipositronium interactions have the potential to create coherent gamma radiation that can be used to develop fusion power. Safe atomic energy. No more dependence on fossil fuels, but, [voice drops lower] the most significant technology for us would be the potential for directed energy weapons. We are talking gamma ray lasers.

_Jack scratched the back of his neck._

Jack: Ray guns, Carter?

_Sam nodded._

Sam: Our own equivalent to a staff weapon or zat, Sir. Much more powerful than anything we have right now. Think about it. Personal arms, inter planetary defenses, I-I can’t overstate the importance of this discovery. We’ve never been able to create positronium in a lab. The potential of this. Sir, it is possibly the most significant find since Daniel first opened the Stargate.

Major Hunter: Don’t know about Greeks, Sir, but don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, we wouldn’t want to upset the locals.

Daniel: He’s got a point, Jack. Refusing a gift of this generosity could be considered an insult.

_Jack looked from me to the box and back again._

Jack: And none of you think it’s a little odd that they’re giving us this incredibly valuable gift. Kind of pushy for a first date, don’t you think?

_There was a pause. Sam grimaced at me as if to say, “Persuade him.”_

Daniel: I guess [quiet voice] it depends on what value this has to them. It’s a pre- industrial society, Jack. What use do they have for a nuclear technology that we haven’t even mastered? They want food and medicine we can offer. They want our help against the Goa’uld, and this is probably all they have to offer an exchange.

_I gestured toward the shaman who was watching over us with expectant eyes._

Daniel: Let them keep their pride, Jack.

_He looked at me for a long moment, considering the point and then with a nod gave his approval. Almost at once, the camera canted sideways and went to black. There was nothing more recorded._

[Recording Ends]

 _With a sigh, I put the camera down and paced to the other end of the lab as she tinkered with the box. It had been offered to us freely, it seemed. Too freely, perhaps, with the benefit of hindsight. If only I could have gotten a better look at the inscriptions on the inside of the tent. Perhaps I could’ve figured out what uh_ [buzz of electricity] _—I was interrupted by a gasp from Sam. She jumped back from the box, which was opening like a flower, revealing an iridescent glow with fizzing, latent power._ [Buzzes of electricity]

Daniel: Ah, Sam? What’s that?

[Footsteps] _Warily, I drew a little closer. The air crackled, but Sam’s eyes were wide with delight._

Sam: It’s the positronium generator, Daniel. Look how small it is. It’s so incredibly beautiful.

_It was beautiful. Everything about it was exquisite. I ran my finger over the Goa’uld inscription. ‘Gift of the Gods’ it read. Curious, really. The Goa’uld have never been noted for their generosity._

Daniel: Could it be a device enabling interdimensional travel? Something given to a loyal first prime perhaps? Or to a junior Goa’uld?

_Sam wasn’t convinced._

Sam: It’s too dangerous. Far too unstable to be used reliably.

_Maybe it’s a prototype, or a failed technology. Something they couldn’t get to work…and yet, it was a gift. A gift of the gods. What kind of a gift would the Goa’uld create for their subjects? An object of beauty and raw power engraved with magnificent carvings and tantalizing hints at a lost treasure. It was irresistible, a veritable candy box. Anyone would want it. Anyone who found it would take it home. No one would suspect._

[Suspenseful music]

_I looked at Sam in shock._

Daniel: Oh my God! It’s a weapon!

[Dooms day music]

[Footsteps] [Chairs pull out] [Pages flipping]

Daniel: Thank you all for coming so fast. General Hammond, if I may?

_With the General’s approval I began to brief everyone on our theory._

Daniel: From what we can gather, the intention of the device, the box, is to exploit the nature of wormhole physics to create uh an interdimensional link. In effect, it’s locking open the Stargates in these two realities.

Major Hunter: A foot in the door, huh? But why? Just to facilitate the invasion?

Daniel: No, no, we don’t think so. The technology is too dangerous for that, too unpredictable. Its intention is much more straightforward. The whiplash explosion Sam is predicting, that’s not the device malfunctioning. That’s its purpose.

[Long uncomfortable pause]

Major Hunter: You’re saying…it’s a bomb?

Daniel: Think about it. The device is wrapped up like a Christmas present. It has naquadah, intriguing coordinates, a positronium generator. It’s got something for everyone. A gift of the gods. Only when you bring it back through your Stargate, it jams the ‘gate open until the wormhole destabilizes, and because your ‘gate is being wedged open by its link to the alternate reality, the wormhole discharges through the ‘gate and destroys your planet. All the Goa’uld have to do is sit and watch.

Major Hunter: So why are they sending all the Jaffa to beat the crap out of the other guys? I’m sorry, Doctor, that doesn’t make any sense.

_It was Teal’c who answered, more grimly than usual._

Teal’c: The Goa’uld care nothing for the lives of their Jaffa. It is likely that they have been deployed to ensure that the Stargate is not deactivated before the device has fulfilled its purpose.

Daniel: Which means that there is a way to stop this.

Major Hunter: Hey, look! I think the other guys are trying to do just that.

_I was looking down at the Stargate through the Stargate. In the alternate ‘gate room, a firefight had broken out. I glanced at General Hammond, and he nodded. As one, we dashed for the ‘gate room._

[Getting down to business music]

 _It was chaos. SG-1 was laying down cover fire while I, well, the other me, and Hunter made a run for the ‘gate._ [Staff weapons and guns firing] _The firefight was intense. Choking smoke lit by red darts of laser sights and the lightning flash of zat fire. But they made it. As Hunter covered him, their Daniel pulled out cables and a laptop from the bag he had been carrying. He was working furiously._

Daniel: Sam? Uh, what am I, uh…What is he doing?

 _I took a step closer to the ‘gate and tried to get a better look._ [Rapid shooting]

Sam: Looks like he’s attempting to close the ‘gate manually. It’s a good bet that the Goa’uld have encrypted the access protocols. He’s probably trying to break the code. Question is, why is it you and not me?

[Weapons fire continues]

_Peering through the distortion of the event horizon, I could just make out the laptop screen._

Daniel: How is your colloquial Quaratic / hieratic [phonetic]? Whatever he’s doing, he’s doing it in Goa’uld.

_Hunter was struggling to hold off the Jaffa. SG-1’s foothold in the ‘gate room was evaporating._

Alt Major Hunter: Dr. Jackson!

Alt Daniel: I know! Just give me a minute to crack the password.

Alt Major Hunter: You don’t have a minute!

 _The place was crawling with Jaffa. They were in the control room, pressing through one set of blast doors. Daniel crouched near the ‘gate, intent on the laptop, Hunter firing into the ranks of Jaffa pushing into the ‘gate room. Neither of them saw the man step through the Stargate behind them. He had the ruthless demeanor of a first prime, angry and sneering. I felt a dreadful jolt of shock. I knew that face. It was the shaman from P2K-797. The man who had given us the gift._ _His arrogant gaze swept through the room before it came to rest on Hunter and Daniel. Almost lazily he raised his zat. Someone yelled a warning, but Hunter turned around too late._

Alt Daniel: Aarrrgggg!

Alt Major Hunter: Dr. Jackson!

_Daniel went sprawling and twitching to the floor, laptop arching and spitting fire as the zat blast hit._

Alt Major Hunter: Man down! Colonel O’Neill. I need back up! Ahh!

 _Hunter was badly hurt. His left shoulder charred by the staff blast. But he wasn’t down. Desperately, he stumbled toward Daniel, climbing over the ‘gate ramp to where he lay sprawled on the floor, but he didn’t have a chance._ [zat blast] _Daniel’s body, my body, convulsed when the second blast hit, and then he lay still. In that moment, all I could hear was the uneven beat of my heart, loud in the silence of our ‘gate room. Through the smoke and the distortion of the wormhole, I just witnessed my own death. I had thought about it before, of course. We all have, every time we step through the gate, but seeing it happen before my eyes…seeing the numb slackness of my face…the awkward angle of my limbs as if reflected in some twisted mirror…it was indescribable…and it wasn’t over._ [Zat fire resumes] _Heedless of the life he had just taken, the first prime swaggered down the ramp and into the fray. Jack, Sam, and Teal’c were ashen faced by the blast doors, fighting desperately to cover Hunter’s exit._

Alt: Jack: [yelling] Fall back! Hunter, fall back!

 _But Hunter wasn’t leaving. He was clambering over the ramp. His shoulder was a bloody mess. His left arm useless, but even so he was trying to lift the dead weight of Daniel’s body._ [Zat fire intensifies] _And Jack’s words came back to me: “No one gets left behind.” Maybe I’d thought it military bravado once, but not now. A hard knot of pride tightened in my throat as I watched Major Hunter struggle to bring my body home. He made it as far as the ramp before his body collapsed._

Daniel: Go…

_I whispered into the Stargate, knowing he couldn’t hear me._

Daniel: Please. Just go.

_The body, my body, was half sprawled across the ‘gate, Hunter crouching at its side. He was taking fire in all directions, and from the door Jack was still yelling,_

Alt Jack: Fall BACK! FALL BACK!!

_Hunter bent his head._

Alt Major Hunter: I’m sorry, Dr. Jackson.

_He lingered a moment, just long enough to yank the dog tag from my neck before he staggered toward safety. Behind him, the Stargate shimmered, and another troop of Jaffa appeared. Eyes bright with disdain, their leader surveyed the room in silence before his gaze fell upon the body that blocked their way. Daniel Jackson’s body. Jaffa’s chin lifted, irritated by the mess, and gestured to one of his men. Heavy boots clanged on the ramp as he lifted his zat, as he fired the third and final shot. The body disappeared, dispensed of like so much garbage. It was chilling…terrifying to see my existence snuffed out so easily. A sharp silence filled our ‘gate room. I glanced over at Jack. His expression was dark and controlled, but I saw anger there and a fear that I know he would never admit._

Jack: [sharp tone] Well. There is no way in hell that happens here.

_Sam offered a faint smile, a grim attempt at reassurance, while Teal’c simply put a hand on my shoulder. It said all that needed to be said._

Major Hunter: There by the grace of God.

Daniel: Amen to that.

[Sad and depressing music]

_None of us said much after that. I returned to my lab to study the Goa’uld weapon more closely. I knew what my friends would be going through in the other reality. Not only the sadness of losing a comrade, but a desperate fear of the Goa’uld breaking out of the SGC. It was our worst nightmare being played out before our eyes, and not a damn thing we could do about it. To just watch and do nothing. Anger curled tight in the pit of my stomach, and I used it to help me focus, to sharpen my mind. There had to be a way to end this._

[Knocks on door]

Major Hunter: Dr. Jackson.

_Hunter didn’t quite meet my eyes as he stood in the doorway. So tense, he was practically at attention._

Major Hunter: Sir…I just wanted to apologize.

Daniel: Umm…why?

Major Hunter: For letting you down, Sir. On the other side. I didn’t have your back, Sir, and…that was my job.

_For a moment, I just stared at him. What is it with these military types?_

Daniel: [After a brief pause] That wasn’t you. And anyway, that Hunter didn’t let anyone down, either. There is no way he could have known.

Major Hunter: He should have covered the ‘gate! It was a basic error, Sir…I can’t believe I made it.

Daniel: Okay, first, uh. It wasn’t you. Second, there were Jaffa everywhere. The lights were out, and it was chaos. He did the best he could.

Major Hunter: No, he didn’t! I’ve been doing this job 10 years, Dr. Jackson. I didn’t even think I was capable of that kind of greenhorn error.

Daniel: Some people might call it hubris, Major. We all make mistakes.

Major Hunter: [Yelling with frustration as if holding back man tears] I didn’t have your back!! I let that guy…He killed you and I let it happen!! What if…

Daniel: You didn’t let it happen.

Major Hunter: What if I screw up again?! Here! Where it counts! What if…ugh.

Daniel: You know what I saw? I saw a soldier who refused to leave a man behind, even when it was already too late. I saw a solider risk his life for some dog tags because that was all he could do. Hunter, l-listen to me. We weren’t there. It wasn’t us. And if the same thing happened here, maybe it would play out different. Maybe it wouldn’t, but it doesn’t matter because we do what we can and that is all we can do. There is no point in dissecting it afterwards. That guy didn’t let anyone down, and neither will you.

Major Hunter: You don’t know that, Sir.

Daniel: Yes, I do.

_Hunter still looked like he was about to argue when Sam appeared behind him. She held some kind of device in her hand and waved it at me._

Sam: Positronium. I have an idea.

_Hunter came into the lab after her, and I wondered if he was going to take up permanent residence at my side on the off chance a legion of Jaffa emerged unexpectedly from the closet. He settled himself near the door, and watched as Sam plugged in the device she was carrying and aimed it at the box._

Sam: Of course, the existence of positronium has never been proven, so it’s only been studied theoretically. However, given that positronium has a mean lifetime of only 125 picoseconds, I’m expecting this to…Yes. It’s annihilated almost immediately. Daniel, could you hold this for me?

_She handed me the device, pulled up a stool, and logged into my computer._

Sam: Just keep it aimed at the box, would you?

_I did as she asked, but I was distracted by Jack and Teal’c covering the doorway._

Daniel: Come to join the party? Or is it a wake?

_Jack’s eyes narrowed._

Jack: No one died here, and no one is about to.

_Hunter shifted awkwardly where he stood by the door, and Jack gave him a curt nod._

Jack: Tough break back there, Major. Now let it go and move on.

Major Hunter: Yes, Sir.

_Jack didn’t say any more. He just ambled into the lab, restless fingers touching everything he passed. Teal’c followed, bowed his head in silent greeting, and moved to stand on the opposite side of the door to Hunter. They looked like twin sentinels guarding us all from the nameless horrors beyond the Stargate. None of us talked about it, about what we just witnessed, but somehow we’d all gathered together and drawn strength from each other and that was all we needed. Sam suddenly looked up from her work._

Daniel: Daniel, don’t move.

_I guess I was tired, not concentrating because I had let the positronium detector drift. It was no longer pointing at the Goa’uld device. It was pointing at Hunter._

Major Hunter: Is there a problem, Captain?

_Sam didn’t answer. Slipping out from behind the computer to take the device from my hand._

Sam: That’s impossible.

_She said, turning the positronium on me, on Jack, Teal’c, my lab bench, the computer. I glanced over at Jack, who just shrugged._

Daniel: Uhh. Sam? What’s going on?

 _She didn’t answer, just thrust the device into my hands and darted back to the computer._ [Taps on keyboard] _. After a long, silent moment, she looked up again, her face pale._

Sam: Someone get General Hammond. Now.

[Ominous music]

_Sam started talking the moment General Hammond walked into the briefing room._

Sam: I know how to end this, Sir, but you’re not going to like it.

_She was right. In a nutshell, she discovered that it wasn’t just the Goa’uld box that was emitting positronium. We all were. Everything around us was. The device hadn’t linked us to an alternate reality. It had created one. Our universe, our reality, had split off from the other one the moment we stepped through the ‘gate with the device._

Major Hunter: Wait, Captain. Are you… are you saying we’re not real?

_Sam looked pained._

Sam: Sir. [Turns to General Hammond] Have you managed to contact anyone off base?

_He shook his head._

Sam: You won’t be able to, Sir, because in this reality, nothing exists outside the SGC.

Major Hunter: What?!? Captain, that’s impossible.

Sam: I’m afraid it’s not, Sir. In the universe of infinite possibilities, this is one of them.

_Sam paused a moment as if considering how best to explain it._

Sam: This reality was created and is sustained by the Goa’uld device for the sole purpose of engineering the whiplash explosion in the other reality. We are like a…Think of it as a reality bubble, Sir.

Major Hunter: So, no one else exists here? Our families? Our kids? They are just gone?

Sam: In this reality, they never existed.

_It was a crushingly desolate truth. To be entirely alone in the universe. A single point of light in an unending night. Incomprehensible. We were all quiet for a long time until Jack said,_

Jack: Not sure I want to live in a universe without The Simpsons.

_I smiled at Jack’s method of jolting us back to the immediate problem. I glanced over at him and said:_

Daniel: Maybe we don’t have to.

_Sam’s grim expression confirmed the suspicion prickling at the back of my mind. The solution was devastatingly simple. Our reality was a creation of the gift brought back through the Stargate. It was creating the reality in which we lived, but if we sent it back through the ‘gate…I caught Sam’s eye._

Jack: There’s a way to end this, isn’t there? A way we can help them.

Major Hunter: What way? Help them how?

_Still holding Sam’s gaze, I said:_

Daniel: We return the gift. Send it back through the Stargate into their reality.

Major Hunter: That’s easy. If we just…wait…wait…it…[sighs] If that box is creating this reality, then wouldn’t…wouldn’t we…

Daniel: Yeah. Yeah, we would. If we send the device back through the ‘gate, everything in this reality would cease to exist.

[Shit’s about go down music]

_I’ll never forget that moment, standing there, watching the shock turn slowly into resolution in the faces of my friends. The first and only question came from Jack._

Jack: So, how do we do it?

_Sam told us that we’d simply have to push the box into the event horizon [and] let it go. Once it arrived in the other reality, our world would disappear. Their gate would disconnect, and the Jaffa invasion would be halted. Hunter sighed, moving away from the door and fixing me with an odd look._

Major Hunter: There is no way out of this. Is there?

Daniel: No. There is really not. Unless that box has an infinite energy supply. This reality only has a finite existence. Days, maybe only hours. I glanced over at Sam, who nodded.

Sam: It’s probably only designed to last long enough to trigger the whiplash explosion. Why would they need it to last any longer?

Major Hunter: And what about us? What if we went through the ‘gate, too? Would our lives depend on the power supply of the box?

_Sam shook her head._

Sam: Once we existed in the other universe, the box would become irrelevant, but entropic cascade failure makes it impossible for us to exist in two realities at once. Even if we went through, we wouldn’t survive for more than a few hours.

Major Hunter: Unless we didn’t exist in the other universe anymore.

_He glanced briefly at Jack and Teal’c and then at Sam. I knew I wasn’t going to like what he had to say._

Major Hunter: The Goa’uld device isn’t the only thing we have that they don’t, Sir.

Daniel: Ah…I don’t…What do you mean?

Major Hunter: You, Sir. We have you.

_I looked at the others. Jack was tight-lipped. Sam pale but determined. Teal’c simply inclined his head in acknowledgement of the unspoken agreement._

Daniel: Ah, guys, wha-what…

Major Hunter: You take the box back, Dr. Jackson. We can give them you.

Daniel: Uh. No! No absolutely not! I-I’m-I’m not jumping in the lifeboat while you guys…No!

Major Hunter: They need you, Sir!

Daniel: Don’t ask me to leave you all! No! I-I-I can’t!

Major Hunter: Never saw you as a coward, Dr. Jackson. Never thought you would take the easy way out.

Daniel: Oh, come on.

Major Hunter: Keep fighting the Goa’uld, Sir! Keep looking for your wife!

_That was a low blow. I didn’t answer. Couldn’t find the words. All eyes were on me, but I couldn’t believe they were asking me to abandon them. To run. At length, General Hammond spoke._

Hammond: Think it over, Dr. Jackson, but Hunter’s right. The loss of your expertise would be a heavy blow to the SGC in any reality.

Major Hunter: And you’ll still remember us, Sir. You’ll remember what we’ve done. There will be nobody else.

_I closed my eyes, seeing vividly the moment of my death. Hunter had grabbed the dog tags as simple proof of my existence…of my death…of my memory…and in the end, what are any of us but a collection of memories. A scratch on the wall of an ancient tomb. For no one to remember the sacrifice these people were making, for an entire reality to blink out of existence unknown and unremembered…Suddenly it seemed an intolerable travesty. As an archeologist, a historian, and preserver of all things past, how could I let that happen? How could I allow these people to surrender their very existence without someone to tell their story? Surely their sacrifice deserved remembrance. I looked at each of them in turn, my heart heavy, before I simply nodded._

Major Hunter: You’ll do it?

Daniel: I’ll do it. I’ll do in memorial.

[Sad and depressing music]

[Machinery operating]

 _Knowing what I was about to do was appalling._ [Footsteps] _Every face I saw, friends and colleagues, made me queasy with irrational guilt. Whether we pitched the box through the ‘gate or I carried it through myself, the outcome for everyone was the same. Our reality was a fabrication of Goa’uld invention, and yet the thought that I would be the one to end the lives of all my friends, the only people I called family…If I let myself think about it in those terms I could hardly breathe through the horror. It was too much, so I concentrated on the details. The tiny insignificant details, like, for example, whether I’d be shot dead by the Jaffa the moment when I stepped through the stargate. I found Sam standing on the ramp, staring through the ‘gate at the devastated ‘gate room beyond. From the foot of the ramp, I called:_

Daniel: Out of the frying pan, huh?

_She turned around with her usual optimistic smile._

Sam: I was just thinking. Maybe there is a way to give you a smoother landing, shorten the odds a little.

_Even then, when her existence was measured in hours, she was thinking about my chances, my future. She gestured at the ‘gate._

Sam: If there was a way to disable the Jaffa, even temporarily…

_I smiled._

Daniel: Some kind of giant Taser, perhaps?

_Sam’s eyes went very round._

Sam: [Excited whisper] Yes! Yes, that is exactly what we need.

_With a grin, she was off._

Sam: Don’t go anywhere until I get back.

_I sighed and turned to face the Stargate. The other side looked dark and bleak…alien. I didn’t want to go there. I didn’t want to step into that ravaged broken world beyond._

[Ominous music]

 _Slowly, people began to arrive. Jack first with a tight smile and little to say beyond cautioning me to not irritate the other O’Neill too much. Then he clapped me on the shoulder and left his hand there long enough to say everything else. Then came Teal’c, carrying his staff weapon as if he might be able to fight off the end of the world, the end of the universe, I guess. Janet Fraiser arrived. She gave me a brief hug and a wide smile, wishing me luck. Wishing me luck when they…_ [sighs] _After a while, Sam returned with Major Hunter and the rest of SG-12, struggling under a load of equipment. I raised a questioning eyebrow, and Hunter answered:_

Major Hunter: It’s a laser gun, Sir. We’re gonna kick some Jaffa ass before we say good night.

_Sam looked incredibly pleased with herself as she oversaw the setting up of the equipment._

Sam: I’m going to use a UV laser to fire a 5 Joule pulse lasting 0.4 picoseconds. The pulse will ionize the air and should, in theory, produce long filaments of glowing plasma. We can use those to deliver a 50,000 Volt shock to all Jaffa in the ‘gate room.

_She grinned at me._

Sam: A giant Taser!

[Machinery operating]

_At that moment, General Hammond strode in, wearing dress blues and a determined look. Everyone stilled. The moment had arrived._

Hammond: All set, Captain Carter?

_Sam nodded, her grin fading into resolve, and then the General’s eyes came to rest on me._

Hammond: You carry all of us with you, Dr. Jackson. Don’t let us down.

Daniel: I won’t.

_I promised as Jack picked up the Goa’uld device and handed it to me._

Jack: Give them hell, Sundance.

[Event Horizon hums]

_Behind me, Sam was ready to fire her weapon through the ‘gate._

Sam: On my mark! Three, two, one, mark.

[Giant Taser fires!]

[Jaffa cry out in pain]

_It was difficult to see in the darkness beyond the ‘gate, but there was no time to check. General Hammond’s hand fell on my shoulder._

Hammond: Dr. Jackson, you have a go.

[Footsteps on ramp] _I took a step on the ramp and turned. They stood in a line together. Jack, Sam, and Teal’c. Sam raised her hand in farewell. Teal’c bowed his head. Jack just nodded. Behind them, Hammond faced the Stargate as he always faced the future: head high and eyes front. For a moment, it was impossible to move. Impossible to place one foot in front of the other when I knew the moment I entered the Stargate, my friends would cease to exist. Then Hunter stepped forward and offered me a crisp solute._

Major Hunter: Don’t let them forget us, Sir, and tell Colonel O’Neill for me, “The Black Hawks don’t stand a chance this season.”

_Perhaps I smiled then. It’s hard to remember. When I look back all I can see are my feet on the grating of the ramp, the smoky blackness of the event horizon. I closed my eyes and tightened my grip on the box. Behind me, General Hammond called:_

Hammond: Godspeed, Dr. Jackson.

_Then I stepped forward into the icy embrace of the Stargate [Enters Event Horizon] and it was all gone. Everyone was gone._

[Sad, depressing funeral-like music]

[Electricity]

[Jaffa moaning and coughing]

 _The air was acrid with smoke. The dreadful tang of blood and gunpowder. The ozone stench of battle. Shimmering blue light from the Stargate cast through in wild shadows, and all around laid Jaffa, some writhing as though in quick sand. And then in the far corner someone moved. He climbed unsteadily to his feet and_ [Stargate shuts off] _pitch black. Crushing darkness beneath the looming weight of Cheyenne Mountain. I crouched low, disoriented, barely daring to breathe. At least one of the Jaffa had woken up. I knew it wouldn’t be long before the rest recovered, and I was blind in the darkness. Alone. Leaving the box by the ‘gate, I began to creep down the ramp ‘til my foot touched something. Something soft. Human. A hand grabbed my ankle, and I flung myself backward, kicking out when_ [bombs exploding]

Major Hunter: Clear the room! Secure the room!

Light flooded through the blast doors, silhouetting soldiers charging through.

[Gunfire]

Major Hunter: Colonel O’Neill, requesting back up.

[Staff weapons firing]

_I scrambled back up the ramp, keeping low, keeping my hands in the air, and I saw Jack and Teal’c crowding through the doorway with weapons raised. Sam followed, talking into her radio._

Daniel: [Yelled through chaos] Jack! Jack! It’s me.

_He stopped dead just as the rattle of gunfire tailed off._

Major Hunter: I think we got them all, Sir.

_Jack had his weapon leveled at me and was stalking through the fallen Jaffa as though they weren’t there._

Jack: Who are you?

_He said, stopping at the foot of the ramp and eyeing me through his gun sight. I raised my hands._

Daniel: [careful and calm] It’s me. Daniel Jackson.

Major Hunter: What the hell?

_Hunter was staring as though he had seen a ghost, which I suppose he had._

Daniel: I’m Daniel Jackson. I’m…

Major Hunter: Daniel Jackson is dead.

_Hunter’s weapon lifted as Jack stepped forward._

Jack: Why don’t you start talking.

_I searched frantically for something to say that would convince them._

Daniel: I have a message for you, Jack, from Major Hunter. He says the Black Hawks don’t stand a chance this season, and frankly, I agree. They’ve shown ter-terrible form the last couple of games.

[Cocks gun]

_Hunter and Jack exchange a quick glance._

Daniel: This morning you had waffles for breakfast because the commons area was out of Froot Loops.

_Jack relaxed his hold on the gun._

Jack: Daniel?

_I tried to muster a smile._

Daniel: Eh, it’s me, Jack. More or less. And I can explain everything.

[Comforting music]

 _So here I am. Back in my office. Only, it’s not my office, or is it? Everything seems the same, and yet…_ [sighs] _For 8 hours, I walked a different path, and the people who walked by my side are gone now. Wiped out by a quirk of physics. I’m all that’s left. The only keeper of their memory. And here, these people lost their Daniel Jackson. They lost a lot of good people, and I wonder if they will ever accept me in this place. Eight hours’ difference. That’s all. And yet, right now it feels like an insurmountable barrier. Well, I guess that’s it. The end of my story. I will never forget my friends or what they gave up, and I will never allow anyone else to forget them, either. After all, no one gets left behind._

[Stops Tape Recorder]

[Knocks on the door]

Major Hunter: Dr. Jackson?

Daniel: Oh hey, Major Hunter, come on in.

Major Hunter: A-are you busy, Sir. You look like maybe you were busy.

Daniel: Uh, actually n-no, I-I’m all done. I was just, uh, just didn’t want to forget, so I was just making some notes. You know.

Major Hunter: Sure. Sure, I know. Uh. Listen, Sir, I…This is uhh kind of awkward, but I just [signs] I wanted to give you these.

[Chains jingle]

Daniel: They’re my dog tags, I mean, they’re his dog tags.

Major Hunter: Who else should have them, Sir? They are yours. And he…I guess I…I think he’d have wanted you to have them. I mean, do you think he would?

Daniel: You know, yeah, I think he would. I mean, I would. Thanks, Hunter, this…this actually…this actually means a lot.

Major Hunter: No problem, Sir. And uh, welcome home.

Daniel: Is that where I am?

Major Hunter: Sure. Why not? Look, the way I figure, this…this was just a path you had to walk. If you hadn’t, none of us would be here, would we?

Daniel: A circular path.

Major Hunter: Sure. A circular path leading right back where you started from. Listen, Colonel O’Neill said to fetch you. We’re going to watch the game, have a few beers. You should come.

Daniel: You know, yeah. Maybe I will. That sounds good.

Major Hunter: We missed you, Sir. It’s good to have you back.

Daniel: It’s good to be back, Major. It’s good to be home.

[Happy times to come music]

THE END.

Interview

**Sharon Gosling** : So Michael, it’s fantastic that you’ve done this for us. Thank you so much. What were your first thoughts when we approached you about the idea of this project?

 **Michael** : I thought, what a great idea! Why hasn’t anybody else done this before? I had done an audiobook for a separate science fiction mythology called Local Custom a few years ago, and I remember thinking at that time when I was doing one ‘Yeah, we should do like, like Stargate audiobooks. That would be kinda fun! At least I would know what the heck I was talking about,’ and when you said this, I literally was going…[more incoherent muttering]. This happens so many times. It’s like, it’s a brilliant idea, but then you sort of go, well there must be a reason why nobody has done it at this point, and then when you did one, ‘Well good! It’s about time.’ When I heard it was you, I went ‘Fantastic! Good for her!’

 **Sharon** : And uh why do you think the Stargate adventures work in this format? What do you think it is that makes it perfect for audiences?

 **Michael** : Well, the one is that we are not making any more episodes, so this is a great way to keep having the characters stay alive. I think the characters’ voices and everything are very familiar with the audience. I think that if the writing matches up with using this format, people can use their imaginations and substitute whatnot when they read a book. But this way it’s just done for them. It can be listened to at any particular time as opposed to just read. I think it gives a little taste back to the audience, instead of just using their imagination. There is a bit more peanut butter on the toast for them to play with. I definitely think—obviously having the actors be there—I think it gives them a little bit more of what they’ve been looking for.

 **Sharon** : Hm. Audio is obviously very different to television. What do you think are the advantages of recording audio as an actor? How do you approach it?

 **Michael** : I mean, in terms of as a medium, when it’s a visual thing when you’re on television, it’s always, of course, a visual medium so the actors have really no—not a lot of control over that. Where the camera is set up. How it moves around. How the story is told is through an eye as opposed to an ear. Here it’s got a lot to do with the performers and the performance. The idea of old radio plays when you hear the [successive taps on table] marching up the steps and you could visualize it that way. The actors have more say in the creation of the story in this environment by the use of the voice and the sound and the aesthetic that lends itself to the listeners’ imagination than in the visual medium where it’s largely up to the director to tell the story that way, and the actors are more like pieces of the puzzle to be moved around.

 **Sharon** : In the first script we record today was the Gift of the Gods, which is actually set in season 3, so it’s an earlier Daniel. Has he changed for you playing him? Has he changed much between season 3 and…

 **Michael** : I think so. Between the story that we just did with Shell Game and Gift of the Gods, you could see that the writers did a good job of capturing the difference of the character. I could kind of feel it in me, especially in the interaction with Vala. That is something that was not part of Season 3 Daniel. He was much more, um. He was softer and a lot more sincere and almost more sentimental especially with that team at that particular time and the character interactions. He was a bit of a softer individual, and I think there has been slight hardening of the character. I realized just in that short time that we did those two the two scripts.

 **Sharon** : And can you give me an idea of what your thoughts were of the two scripts? The Gift of the Gods we recorded first and the Shell Game we just recorded. I thought you said they’re very different.

 **Michael** : Yeah, yeah. Well again it’s uh. Literally it feels [different?] like for me obviously with my experience from what it feels like the difference between seasons 1 through 8 and seasons 9 and 10 that there’s a very, very different kind of dynamic going on there. The first one felt very much like Stargate from when we originally started it and the last two years of the show were obviously something very different. And I think that’s plainly different as those time periods were in the history of the show, how it—for all of us filming the show, season 9 and season 10 always felt like the beginning of a different series. Seasons 1 through 8 felt like that was a separate series as well as in these two scripts. I think just completely different interactions, completely different dynamics, and completely different rhythms almost.

 **Sharon** : And you did some pretty fantastic impressions of your uh…

 **Michael** : [Laughs] Yeah! Yeah, they’ll love that! [Laughs some more] I think I made Teal’c sound like Spock though. I think Chris is gonna hate my ass for that one.

 **Sharon** : [Joins in laughing] Maybe he’ll get his own bad one. 

**Michael** : [Continues laughing] Yeah. Exactly, exactly. Oh, I would love to actually hear him impersonate Daniel. That will be interesting.

 **Sharon** : [Giggles] And of course you were talking about the difference between television and audio. That in here, we’re in, I mean, I’m sitting across from you in a different booth. It must be a different process for you as an actor to actually, you know, you are not interacting directly with those people. How does that work?

 **Michael** : It’s tough. This is a difficult aspect. I mean, the wonderful thing about even doing a table read of a script and whatnot. Obviously the characters in the Stargate universe were very important, and I’ve always found it difficult. I remember when we were doing even the voiceover for the videogame that never was created, but it was a script but we were all doing it separately and so even though you had a rough idea of how another character was going to deliver a line, you never knew for sure. So it could be—it’s a bit of a tricky thing, obviously. When John was here reading Hunter, um, that when we were talking to each other, that’s when it really came to life. It was always the same in the shows. I could memorize my lines and learn them, but it was really that other actor that brought that character to life and we couldn’t really work separately. Otherwise we wouldn’t have that rhythm and that kind of the ease of the repartee the characters have in the show. And so I think that’s the trickiest part. Reacting to nothing is a very difficult thing. Or even just being curious as to how that other person would play it, and you might be wrong because they might decide differently or that kind of thing. So it’s a tricky proposition. I think that’s the most difficult aspect about it.

 **Sharon** : Do you think, uh, you mentioned that you did Local Custom, the audiobook. Did that prepare you for this in a way? Is it a similar medium or is it completely different reading a book?

 **Michael** : That was very difficult. This is easy for me obviously because I know the character so well. I have a visual in my head when I’m reading the scripts, and the rhythms of the characters and voices of the characters. They’re all in there, so I understand the mythology, the different potentials of the mythology that we’ve been through or could be going through in these cases. With that reading a book that I didn’t have a basis for understanding the world other than just the book itself, I was trying to visualize the characters, but I didn’t understand the world purely because I had nothing to draw from with it. So it was a bit frustrating sometimes because I was creating the thing, and I understand it at times. I was supposed to be creating it for the audience, so I would be getting frustrated because some of the stuff just made absolutely no sense to me. So I’m sure those people will tell you I swore a lot more for the recording of that than this.

 **Sharon** : [Giggles] They should be grateful after that.

 **Michael** : Yes. Yes. Yes.

 **Sharon** : And you’ve played, I mean, you’ve played Daniel for a decade now. That’s an awfully long time to play a character. You came here straight from a convention that you were doing in the UK. Do you think this character is going to stay with you for a long time now?

 **Michael** : Yeah, I definitely think that. After going on 11+ years, and the talk of already doing more movies in the springtime with this, there’s a deep entrenchment with the character there, so I think that he’ll always be stuck in some waiting room in my brain, marching back and forth, waiting to be used again and parts of his, his—that character’s personality have become part of mine and vice versa. I was asked earlier about what it's like to say goodbye to the characters. Like, I don’t think that I’m gonna have to say goodbye to it. I think he’s always going to be running around in my head doing crazy crap all my life. [Laughs]

 **Sharon** : I’m sure the fans will be very happy, then. [Awkward laugh]

 **Michael** : Yes! Yeah, yeah. Exactly. [Imitates Fan] “He’s insane.”

 **Sharon** : [Continues laughing] Thank you very much.

 **Michael** : My pleasure. 

[Closing Music]


End file.
